When the drone footage came back, news reporters couldn’t believe what they were seeing. Rows of glass cases floating on the ocean’s surface, each one containing a sinister surprise. Live creatures filled these prisons, unable to do anything but wait their uncertain fate.

If early records are accurate, mankind has been hunting whales since as early as 6,000 B.C. Thanks to petroglyphs found along the Taehwa River, historians believe the practice actually began in Neolithic Korea. And since this time, the practice has continued throughout the ages.

In fact, whaling grew to become a commercial industry, and a large amount of controversy has come with it. People hunt whales because they provide resources that are both useful and valuable. For example, their flubber contains oil, and is rich in vitamin D. Furthermore, whale meat is edible for humans.